BET NETWORKS LICENSES PACKAGE OF ICONIC AFRICAN AMERICAN COMEDIES FROM WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION
Network Snags Premiere Off-Net Comedies Including "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Family Matters," "Martin," "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "The Wayans Bros." To Air Only On BET And Viacom Media Networks
(March 20, 2013 - New York and Burbank) - BET Networks announced today it has licensed an extensive package of iconic, successful off-net programming from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The series, which features such world-recognized and award-winning actors such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence , includes "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Family Matters," "Martin," "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "The Wayan Bros." to air on BET and CENTRIC. In addition, Nick at Nite has retained the rights to continue airing "Full House" as well as "Living Single," which will air on MTV2. The deal was unveiled today by Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, BET Networks and Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.
"We're thrilled to bring our audience more of the classic hits and award-winning actors they love on both BET and CENTRIC," said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET Networks.
"A deal of this magnitude underlines the importance of securing well-known proven hit programming as a part of the foundation of a successful network schedule," said Werner. "These series perform strongly across ethnic and age demos - maintaining their original fan bases while consistently being discovered by new audiences."
The deal, which was negotiated by Barbara Zaneri, Executive Vice President, Program Strategy, Scheduling and Acquisitions, BET Networks and Tom Cerio, Executive Vice President, Cable Sales, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, includes:
* The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Will Smith stars as a teenager from inner city Philadelphia who's sent to California to live in with his wealthy relatives in the hopes that they will "straighten him out and team him some good old-fashioned values," but Will soon takes his rightful place as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
* Martin - Comic superstar Martin Lawrence plays a small-time talk-radio host - as well as a number of outrageous characters who make his life difficult, creating uproarious laughs in this hilarious comedy series.
* Family Matters - What matters most? Family, of course. Especially if you are a member of the close-knit Winslow brood where the only things that really count are love, laughter and Family Matters.
* The Jamie Foxx Show - Multitalented comedian and Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx stars as an entertainer hitting his stride both musically and romantically.
* The Wayans Bros. - Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans star as two brothers in this fresh, cut-loose, physical comedy about two distinctively different brothers sharing an apartment in New York.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
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